DECEMBER 2016

New 70's electronic music: TwoAdelbert von Deyen albums reissued

Adelbert von Deyen is a protagonist of the so-called Berlin school of electronic music. After releasing his debut album "Sternzeit" (1978) in October, we now present album number two and three: "Nordborg" (1979) and "Atmosphere" (1980). "Nordborg" features only one track on each side. Again, von Deyen took his time crafting a meditative maelstrom of ambient sounds. The B-side, "Iceland", is actually an acoustic interpretation of a snowstorm in Nordborg, Denmark, as remembered by von Deyen. "Atmosphere" marks the end of von Deyen's ambient phase. Whilst most of the tracks swathe listeners in vast expanses of sound, the driving analogue drums of the opening track signal a shift towards Elektro-Kraut terrain. Out now: CD/vinyl/digital.

NOVEMBER 2016

Conrad Schnitzler & Schneider TM:"Con-struct" out now!

The German pioneer of electronic music Conrad Schnitzler (1937–2011) amassed a vast archive of sounds for use in combination with each other in live performances. In 2011 the idea came up of con-structing new compositions, not remixes, from this material. The Con-Struct series was born. The second release of the series features con-structions by Schneider TM. "I am very happy and honored to be invited to do an album for the Con-Struct series and wanted to do something special and genuine in this posthumous collaboration with Conrad Schnitzler. I wanted to get as close to his spirit as possible, so I created a musical situation as if we were actually collaborating together in the same room, with Conrad playing his pre-recorded sound-files or modular system and me dubbing and processing it live on the fly... almost as if it was a live-concert situation." Out now on CD/LP/DL.

Peter Baumann solo albums reissued on Bureau B!

From 1971 to 1977, Peter Baumann was a member of the legendary Berlin band TANGERINE DREAM. The group were pioneers of the so called Berliner Schule (Berlin School) which had such a profound impact on electronic music. He produced a number of momentous albums at his Paragon Studio (by the likes of Conrad Schnitzler, Cluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius) and also enjoyed success as a solo artist. His first two solo works are now being reissued with extensive liner notes and rare photographs. The influence of Tangerine Dream can clearly be heard on "Romance 76", although the arrangements are comparatively minimalist. "Trans Harmonic Nights", Baumann's second solo album, sees him continue to break free from the gravitational pull of Tangerine Dream. Hans-Joachim Roedelius was recording the "Jardin au Fou" album at the same time in his Paragon Studio and some of his carefree positivity seems to have rubbed off on Baumann, judging by the music he came up with. Out now on CD/LP.

Automat complete their LP trilogy:New album "OstWest" out now!

With OstWest, Berlin-based electronic-kraut-dub trio Automat complete their LP trilogy with a deep and entrancing take on the failures of neoliberalism. Recorded in 2015 at Candy Bomber Studios in Berlin's former Tempelhof Airport at the height of the European refugee crisis, the band found itself neighbours of thousands of refugees from across the Middle East and Africa who were being provided temporary housing in the airport's former hangars directly below the studio. OstWest stands as a musical interpretation of the impact of these thousands of new arrivals within Germany and the EU, as well as the rise of xenophobic political movements spurned on by the Brexit. The result is a series of atmospheric and rhythmic meditations that provide the foundation for swirling electronics and the bass-heavy sounds of a changing Europe.

OCTOBER 2016

New stuff by Conrad Schnitzler unearthed: "Filmmusik 1" out now

In the sprawling archive of German avant garde electronic musician Conrad Schnitzler (1937—2011), there are two tapes marked "Filmmusik 1975 A" and "Filmmusik 1980 B". It is hard to say which videos this music belongs to, particularly as the pieces have been left untitled. "Filmmusik 1" presents an initial selection of these finds, presented to us by Schnitzler's musical partner for many years and guardian of the archive, Wolfgang Seidel. The music on the "Filmmusik" tapes is extraordinarily accessible for Schnitzler: hypnotic bass lines, stoic drum rhythms, dark drones, crystalline shards of melody.

Late 1970s electronica from Estonia: Sven Grünberg "Hingus" out now

Four years after prog rock band Mess disbanded, Estonian musician Sven Grünberg released a remarkable album entitled "Hingus" in 1981. The 23 minute title track invites us into a fascinating, futuristic world of sound, laced with Far Eastern tonality, embellished with a church organ, extremely rare synthesizers and extraordinary percussion effects. The other two tracks, no less superb, are more in the stylistic tradition of the Berliner Schule / Berlin School (Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream).

New 70's electronic music, pt. 1: Rolf Trostel "Two Faces" out now

Rolf Trostel's second album "Two Faces" was released in 1982, only a year after his debut, "Inselmusik" (see below, news for August). While "Inselmusik" was intended as a basis for live performance, Trostel composed and produced the five instrumental tracks on "Two Faces" exclusively for this album. The music is clearly a product of the Berlin school, yet is more sophisticated and varied than its predecessor. Out now (CD/vinyl/digital).

Adelbert von Deyen is a protagonist of the so-called Berlin school of electronic music. On his debut album "Sternzeit", he takes his time to develop sound structures, often drifting, floating blissfully into tonal interference. The listener also requires time and patience, but will be rewarded with a Zen-like state of contemplation. Out now (CD/vinyl/digital).

SEPTEMBER 2016

Having played his way through the 1970s in various rock combos (Medusa, Nine Days' Wonder), Michael Bundt embarked on a solo career in the latter part of the decade, going on to release three albums which saw him explore the vast potential of electronic music. Delightfullly varied and typical of his willingness to experiment, his music orbits around Krautrock, Berlin School electronica, space-futurism and synth pop. "Electri City" from 1980 was his last album. Out now (CD/vinyl/digital).

AUGUST 2016

Sven Kacirek & Thomas Klein collaborate on Selekt 3: Rhythmus I–IV.

Thomas Klein, drummer of the band KREIDLER and solo artists under the moniker SØLYST, and Sven Kacirek, solo artist and "collaborator" with Nils Frahm, Stefan Schneider and others, are two percussionists who are well-established in the electronic music scene. On the third release of our SELEKT series they present four tracks exclusively with percussion instruments. Although the two musicians each speak their own distinct rhythmic language, with only a few data transfers between Hamburg and Düsseldorf they have conjured up four compact tracks, which despite the instrumental limitations are surprisingly diverse in terms of sound, groove and depth. Vinyl only! Out now.

Out now. New CAMERA albumPhantom Of Liberty

Camera is rightly compared with icons of seventies Krautrock such as Neu! and La Düsseldorf, with a tight and driving sound, yet they are still somehow unpredictable. Hardly any other band understands how to mutate tiny musical nuances into volcanic eruptions like they do. The Berlin band is a motor running at full throttle, where an explosion could occur at any second. Once you have embarked on this crazy journey, you will be fascinated by the alternating current somewhere between a flash flood and roller coaster running off the rails. The cascades of sound convey a blurry image of a boundless desire to revolt, with each blink of an eye threatening to end in purgatory, yet it is damned near indestructible. Out now on CD/LP/DL.

Rolf Trostel — Berlin School electronic reissues from early 80's out now.

Rolf Trostel is a protagonist of the so-called Berliner Schule / Berlin School (Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze). On his first album "Inselmusik" (1981) he explores the sonic possibilities of the recently introduced PPG wavetable synthesizer. "Inselmusik" is minimalist, meditative and contemplative music, enriched with remarkable choral sounds, flutes and effects. Overlapping sequencer lines and dominant expanses with feel-good harmonies are carried along on calm, soothing beats. The music is based on live performances from the late 1970s by Trostel and the legendary Krautrock guitarist Günter Schickert. Electronic Pop was the musical goal of Trostel's third album "Der Prophet", which was released in the same year as its predecessor "Two Faces" (reissue scheduled for October). "Der Prophet" is the culmination of this phase of Trostel's oeuvre, which was tightly coupled to the PPG Wave Computer. Out now on CD/LP/DL.

JUNE 2016

Die Krupps — "Stahlwerkrequiem".Out now.

In 1981 the Düsseldorf band Die Krupps (Jürgen Engler, Bernward Malaka, Ralf Dörper) released a seminal album which wrote its own chapter in the history of music: the "Stahlwerksinfonie" (Steelworks Symphony) was a near thirty-minute musical monolith of metal and guitar sounds with scattergun saxophone and shouts, held together by a monotonic bass line and stoic beat. The "Stahlwerksinfonie" proved a worldwide sensation, a nucleus of EBM and industrial rock. It stood as a direct descendent of Cluster's early works, although Krupps mastermind Jürgen Engler was as yet unfamiliar with the output of his purported antescedents. 35 years later, a new version is upon us: the "Stahlwerkrequiem", recorded with Engler's kindred spirits Mani Neumeier (Guru Guru), Jean-Hervé Peron and Zappi Diermaier (Faust), Pyrolator (Der Plan) and US postrock musician Scott Telles. CD/vinyl/digital.

Jürgen Karg — rare 70's experimental electronica. Out now.

An exciting discovery of 70's experimental electronic music: Jürgen Karg's career in music began in the 1960s as bass player for German jazz legend Wolfgang Dauner. It was not until the 1970s that he switched his attention to electronic music, launching himself wholeheartedly into exploring the genre and building up an extensive collection of synthesizers over a five year period. His efforts culminated in the "Elektronische Mythen" LP, a mighty opus of experimental music which reveals new aspects every time it is played. CD/vinyl/digital.

Early works by M. Banabila. Beautiful minimal electronica. Out now.

Michel Banabila, born 1961, is a sound artist, composer, and producer. Banabila releases music since 1983 and has produced musical scores for numerous films, documentaries, theatre plays and choreographies. The album "Early Works. Things Popping up from the Past" collects 11 songs from his early years, released on tape, vinyl EPs or limited CD editions: beautiful minimal loop-based electronica, neo-classical pieces and ambient drone music. A true discovery! CD/vinyl/digital.

MAY 2016

"Machines Of Desire"—new album by Peter Baumann after 30 years!

From 1971 to 1977 Peter Baumann was a member of the legendary German band Tangerine Dream, the inventors of the electronic music genre "Berlin School". He produced many seminal records in his Paragon studio (e.g. Conrad Schnitzler, Cluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius) and released several successful solo albums.

"Machines Of Desire" is Peter Baumann's first solo album in more than 30 years and it's now available on CD, vinyl (incl CD), limited white vinyl (incl CD) and DL. Check out the videos for "Searching In Vain" and "Dust To Dust" that are now online on the "Machines Of Desire" Youtube channel.

Unreleased material by CIRCLES: New album "Structures" out now!

Latecomers to the Krautrock party, Circles created a manifesto of frenzied inertia in the late 1980s, swimming in the same gene pool as Cluster and Popol Vuh. Ambient music for the end of time does not get any more authentic than this. The "Structures" album is a time capsule unlocked, containing previously unreleased recordings from the years 1985 to 1989. Music which meshes the extremes of "end of time foreboding" and "drifting lightness" to beguiling effect. Music which succeeds in sounding more contemporary now that it did when it was made. Its time has come.

APRIL 2016

Three guitarists, Three generations:Arbeit Schickert Schneider. Out now.

Günter Schickert (Ziguri), Jochen Arbeit (Die Haut, Einstürzende Neubauten, Automat) and Dirk Dresselhaus (Schneider TM, Angel, Locust Fudge) are three renowned Berlin guitarists. They epitomize three generations of experimental musicians: Schickert personifies the Krautrock of the 1970s, Arbeit 1980s post-punk and Dresselhaus the neo-electronica of the late 1990s/2000s period. Their artist approaches may differ on account of their diverse musical backgrounds, yet what they do have in common is a fundamental interest in developing the guitar as a sound object, seeking out unusual structures and harmonies. They now present the results of their explorations and ideas on a joint album.

DENNIS YOUNG: "Wave"(Electronic Music 1984–1988). Out now

Dennis Young is best known as the percussionist of the New York band LIQUID LIQUID, which is known for their piece "Cavern" from 1983, which in turn became very well known because Grandmaster Flash sampled it and used it as the basis for their hit "White Lines".
But Young was not only a band member. In parallel he produced much of his own material, including three cassettes in the years 1984 to 1988, which are of particular interest for us. They are his tribute to the pioneers of electronic music like Klaus Schulze, Brian Eno, Cluster or Tim Blake. Those who don't know otherwise might guess that Youngs music originated in the seventies.

9 album Cluster boxset. 1971–1981.Limited CD and LP version. Out now.

Finally available: The ultimate Cluster boxset. It contains all eight of the regular LPs which represent their main phase 1971–1981, plus a previously unreleased album of two live recordings from the years 1972 and 1977. All of the albums have been remastered by Willem Makkee. Asmus Tietchens has contributed an exclusive text on the evolution and significance of the band. The booklets also include essays on each album and many photographs. Limited to 1,000 vinyl sets (180g) and 1,500 CD sets. Out now!

New series: Dieter Moebius' solo work.
"Blotch" & "Nurton" out now

Dieter Moebius—half of the legendary duo Cluster and the godfather of electronic krautrock—passed away in the summer of 2015. Bureau B is now rereleasing his last four solo albums. The series begins with "Blotch" from 1999, featuring loop-based tracks which delve stoically into experimental sonic atmospheres that playfully and sensuously hypnotize the listener. On the second album of his late solo work, "Nurton", Moebius searches for flaws and uses them as a creative impulse. As usual, he blithely ignores any mainstream expectations. Out now on CD/LP/DL.

MARCH 2016

»THE STEAM AGE«New SØLYST album out now

As a basis for the third album by the Düsseldorf Kreidler drummer Thomas Klein THE STEAM AGE, an abandoned piano served as a sound source. Tapping, scratching, scraping, plucking: working with the wooden body and steel strings led to the building blocks of a broad sonic spectrum, which Klein then brushed against the grain with his sampler. All of these alienated patterns and sequences were then invited to dance to the typical Sølyst percussion groove, merging with him to form a hypnotically driving machine-funk.

"Ambient music for the devoted"New Qluster album "Echtzeit" out now

Qluster are the third incarnation of the legendary Krautrock project Kluster/Cluster, consisting of Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Onnen Bock and Armin Metz. "Echtzeit" is their sixth album. After the pure piano work on "Tasten" (2015), the group has now returned to their electronic equipment (plus grand piano) and expands their audience with contemplative, mature and intelligent music. Or, as "popmatters" put it: "Qluster make ambient music sound just weird enough for the devoted." (8 stars out of 10). "Echtzeit" is album of the week in "Musikexpress".

FEBRUARY 2016

9 album CLUSTER box set out in April. Be the first! Preorder now!

On April 8rd Bureau B will release a luxurious 9 album CLUSTER box set. It contains all eight of the regular LPs which represent their main phase 1971—1981, plus a previously unreleased album of two live recordings from the years 1972 and 1977. All of the albums have been remastered by Willem Makkee. Asmus Tietchens has contributed an exclusive text on the evolution and significance of the band. The booklets also include essays on each individual album and rare photographs. Limited to 1000 vinyl sets (180g) and 1500 CD sets. You can preorder this must-have here. The first 200 orders also include a cover print.

70's electronic music gem unearthed!Baumann/Koek out now!

Bureau B releases another hitherto undiscovered treasure of German electronic music, the only album by the electronic music pairing of Wolfgang (not Peter!) Baumann and Ata Koek, both from Kempten, Bavaria. It was mixed in Conny Plank's studio and distributed, without a label, by the duo themselves in 1978. The music owes much to the Berlin School: layered sequencer patterns, swirling chord tapestries, a computer beat here and there. Oriental elements or hints thereof add a particular charm to Baumann/Koek, available now for the first time on CD (+vinyl and download).